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One of my favorite Stephen Sondheim songs is “Ladies Who Lunch” from his musical “Company.” I always enjoy Barbara Streisand’s version, especially when she warbles “another vodka stinger.”
Is meeting for lunch a woman’s activity or do men do it too? I’m not sure, but when Pennsylvania Ballet finished its 2009-’10 season with a glorious production of “Romeo and Juliet,” I finally met South Philadelphia resident Marissa Montenegro, the company’s director of public relations. We’ve been chatting on the phone and e-mailing each other since last fall.
Montenegro has beautiful pre-Raphaelite hair and a bubbly personality. She has been with Pennsylvania Ballet for one year.
“Let’s have lunch,” I said. “Your office is just a 10-minute walk from my home. Instead of lunching in a restaurant, why not come to my kitchen for a real ladies’s lunch?”
We agreed to meet at noon. I asked Montenegro if she is allergic to any foods and she said no. I told her the menu would depend upon the weather, especially drinks. It would be either hot or iced tea. Since the heat is here to stay, iced tea it was.
Cold dishes were in order. I thought about a cool soup and salad lunch. Gazpacho is a breeze to prepare. I enjoy chopping the vegetables by hand. Several weeks ago, I made this cool Spanish soup but forgot to buy tomatoes. Since I always have San Marzano chopped tomatoes in my pantry, I used them and it worked. Fresh fragrant basil from my herb garden topped the soup off beautifully.
Summer salads are a dream to me. I like to invent new ones. Sometimes I make lettuce-free salads, or all green salads. Buttery Boston lettuce mixed with red leaf and watercress formed the basis for our salad, a take-off of salade Nicoise.
My new rule for dessert has helped me lose weight. I indulge in sweets on the days which begin with the letter “S.” I break the rule on holidays and special occasions. Our lunch was special so I bought some cookies to enjoy with fresh fruit.
Gazpacho
Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 Israeli cucumbers, peeled and chopped
4 scallions, sliced on the diagonal
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cups of tomato juice
1 cup of chicken stock
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup of olive oil
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Handful of fresh basil leaves, snipped with a scissors
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least four hours or overnight.
Serves six to eight.
Note from Phyllis: You can substitute one 15-ounce can of either diced or crushed tomatoes in this recipe. Feel free to use any type of pepper in the soup.
Ladies’ Lunch Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 head of Boston lettuce, torn into pieces
1/2 head of red leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
1/2 small bunch of watercress
2 Israeli cucumbers, peeled and sliced
3 large radishes, sliced
1 head of Belgian endive, sliced
1 5-ounce can of tuna packed in olive oil
1/4 pound of feta cheese, crumbled
Olives of your choice such as Picholine, Kalamata or Gaeta
Olive oil for drizzling
Juice of 1 small lemon
Directions:
Chill two large salad plates, preferably glass.
Evenly divide the Boston and red leaf lettuce along with the watercress between both plates. Scatter the remaining vegetables over the greens.
Divide the tuna and place a mound in the center of the greens. Scatter the feta over the salads. Add the olives.
Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the salads. Pass the salt and pepper mill at the table.
Serves two.
Note from Phyllis: This recipe can be easily doubled.
Fresh Fruit Salad with Grand Marnier
Ingredients:
1 pint of blueberries, washed
1 pint of strawberries, washed, hulled and cut in half
1 melon of your choice, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier
Directions:
Place the fruits in a pretty serving bowl. Add the Grand Marnier and toss gently. Place in the refrigerator for about two hours or overnight.
Serve with cookies.
Serves four.
Note from Phyllis: Grand Marnier is an orange-flavored liqueur from France. You could substitute Cointreau or Bénédictine & Brandy in this recipe.
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